Liverpool v Arsenal – GW3

It finished 4-0 and I have to say that score line flattered us, we were abysmal from start to finish.

I normally list 3 or 4 things I have picked up on throughout the game but quite frankly, we were absolutely shit and I don’t think any level of analysis can comprehend this.

Our back 3 does not work against a team with fast forwards. It leaves too much space for our left and right sided centre back to cover because our wingbacks are too slow to get back into position and form a back five.

Our midfield pivot was shambolic. When Ramsey and Wilshere were coming through the ranks I tipped him to go onto be a better player than Jack would but I hate him.

He thinks he’s a superstar and has absolutely no understanding of his role in this team.

However, I also feel the manager has to do more to address and issue like this. Raise the issue with the player, show him how he should be playing and hope he learns from it.

I very much doubt he and Arsene have had a conversation that went along those lines because he’s been like it for more than one season and he still gets picked.

One point to try and justify this is that we don’t have anyone else in the team who can play the role as it is supposed to be played and thus the manager has little choice but to pick him.

The solution is obvious, promote Joe Willock…I joke. We need a midfielder, Ramsey isn’t good enough and with a disciplined central midfielder I believe Xhaka will thrive, until then we won’t get any better.

I don’t recall us having a shot on target the whole game but didn’t watch the remaining 5-10 mins so following this screenshot we may have had one.

Going forward we offered nothing. Everyone before the game said there would be goals because neither team knew how to defend and they may have been right but Arsenal didn’t know how to attack either. Alexis looked out of sorts through the whole game and nothing came off for him. Ozil was useless but no worse than anybody else and with less than 10 minutes on the clock Welbeck skied a gilt edged chance to put us in the lead.

With regards to Welbeck I feel for £16m you would hope he could at least hit the target but again, this is something we all know is wrong with him and something he seems unable to improve.

Had Lacazette been in his position I feel confident in saying we’d have led 1-0. This isn’t to say we would’ve won the game but we would’ve cause Liverpool to be more adventurous, if at all possible.

Petr Cech was by a country mile our best player and I don’t think there is much he can do about the goals we conceded but still conceded 4 so will be lucky to get a rating higher than a 5 in the papers tomorrow.

We now have an international break before playing Bournemouth at home on Saturday 9 September and feel the next few days have to be some of the biggest in our recent history.

We NEED to sign new players, we CANNOT sell our best player but quite frankly, you can’t blame him for wanting to leave.

The problems we are seeing have been laid bare for all to see year in, year out and we have 2 more years of this.

No, I am not saying this all lays at Wenger’s feet but ultimately he controls transfers, he picks the team, he runs the training throughout the week and until he is replaced we will not be able to compete because once he leaves, the new manager will demand support from the board and, hopefully, will expose the club for its shortcomings because quite frankly, there are loads.